Electric heating device.



E. FOWLER.

ELECTRIC HEATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.10, 1915.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

ELBERT FOWLER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

ELECTRIC HEATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed December 10, 1915. Serial N 0. 66,146.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELBERT FowLnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, Fulton county, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Heating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric heating devices and more particularly to a device adapted to generate heat and reflect it on the work, the device shown in the present embodiment of the invention being designed for the purpose of heating or melting a wafer of sealing wax.

.vice embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the same, part of the handle being shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the device showing a portion of the top thereof broken away to disclose the construction of the interior;

Fig. 4: is a cross sectional view on the line 4% of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the construction of a part of the casingor housing; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are, respectively, side and end viewsof the insulating and heat resisting supports for the resistance elements.

Referring to the drawing, the device in general comprises a body and a handle attachedthereto, the body carrying the resistance elements which produce the heat and the handle carrying the electrical supply wires and the switch which controls the current supplied to the resistance elements.

The body of the'device consists of annular complementary top and bottom sections forming a casing or housmg for the resistance elements The top of the housmg consists of a plate in the form of an octagon which is stamped to form inclined upper sides 10 and 11 which meet at substantially a right an le to form the top ridge 12 of the device. Tie inner side 11 terminates at the center in a vertical flange 13 which surrounds the sight opening 14 at the center of the device. An inner annular plate similar in outline to the plate forming the sides 10 and 11 is stamped to provide the sides 15 and 16 forming the inside top wall of the housing for the resistance elements. The sides 15 and 16 meet at an angle 17 and are spaced a distance from the sides 10 and 11, respectively, the space between the sides being filled with a suitable heat insulating ma terial 18, such as asbestos. The inner edge of the side 16 is bent upwardly as at 19 and secure to the inner side of theflange 13 by a row of rivets 20. The side 15 is spaced from the side 10 by a row of rivets 21 which extend along the outer edge of the device.

The bottom half of the housing is made of a plate of material stamped substantially in the same form as the top plate of the housing. The bottom plate has a side 22 formed to correspond with the side 10 and a side 23 formed to correspond to the side 11 extending inwardly and upwardly and terminating in a flange 2% at the upper end which slips inside the lower edge of the flange 13 on the top half of the body. The side23 of the bottom half has trapezoidal openings 25 punched therein through which the heat from the interior of the casing may be reflected. A plate 26 is spaced from the side 22 of the bottom of the device and has a down wardly extending flange 27 which is secured to the wall 23 by a row of rivets 28. The space between the bottom 22 and plate 26 is filled with a suitable heat insulating substance 29, such as asbestos. The casing is thus lined on three sides thereof with heat insulating material which is faced with the metal reflecting surfaces 15, 16 and 26. These surfaces may be polished or silvered so that the heat will be more efficiently re flected from the interior of the casing through the openings 25 in the wall 23. The upper edge of the plat 26 has a flange 30 (see Figs2 and 5) which forms a supporting surface for a corresponding flange 31 at the lower edge of the wall 15. The wall 10 of the top half also has a depending flange 32 at the outer side thereof provided with a groove 33 which is adapted to fit and snap over a head 34 on the flange 35 of the wall 22 of the bottom of the device. The top and bottom walls 10 and 22 have correspond ing extensions 36 and 37 at one side of the device which are curved so as to form the two halves of a cylindrical recess, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, to receive the plug of insulation 38 which carries the spring terminal jacks 39 and 40, to the inner ends of which the resistance coil 41 is attached by nuts 42.

Lateral projections formed by the extensions 36 and 37 of the top and bottom halves of the casing and the plug or block 38 form a stem on the device which serves as a support for a handle which has a cylindrical ferrule forming a socket 43 adapted to fit over the outside of the extensions 36 and 37. The handle member proper consists of two detachably connected hollow parts 44 and 45, formed of insulating material. The socket member 43 is connected to the part 44 and the part 45 has an opening in the end thereof to admit the wires 46 and 47, which supply the electric current for heat.- ing purposes. The wire 46 is connected to the inner end of a terminal post 48 which extends through the end of the handle section 44, and the wire 47 is connected to the spring plate 49 on the inner -side of the handle section 44. The spring plate 49- carries a button 50 by means of which the plate may be forced inwardly against a contact plate 51, which is connected to another terminal post 52 extending through the end of the handle section 44. The outer ends of the terminal posts 48 and 52 are adapted to be inserted in the ends of the spring jacks 39 and 40 to complete the electrical eonnection between the wires 46 and 47 and the resistance coil 41. The handle section 44 is formed with a boss 53 which surrounds the opening through which the button 50 projects, the outer. edge of the boss 53 extending beyond the end of the. button 50 so that the latter will not be pushed inwardly and the circuit accidentally closed when the device is carelessly laid on a table or other support.

The resistance 41 consists of a continuous coil of suitable resistance wire which is strung through openings 54 in the insul at ing supports 55, the construction of which is .hown in Figs. 6 and 7. The insulating supports 55 are located at suitable points in the annular chamber or housing of the body, in the present arrangement being disposed on radial lines passing through the angles of the octagonal housing. The plates 55.

have the enlargements 56 at the outer ends thereof to provide shoulders 57 on opposite sides of the plates whereby they are detachably secured inplace in the angles of repairs. By simply removing the handle,-

the socket member 43 is disengaged from the extensions 36 and 37 and the plugs 48 and 52 are pulled out of the jacks 39 and 40, and then the top half of the housing may be pulled off as the latch formed by the groove 33 and bead 34 and the slip-fit between the flanges 13 and 24 only frictionally hold the parts together. When the top half is removed the entire resistance coil is accessible.

The operation of the device will be aparent from the foregoin description. Vhen it is desired to heat a ody such as a wafer of wax, the button 50 is pushed in to complete the circuit and the heating device is then held centrally over the wafer. The heat generated by the resistance coil is re flected outwardly by the surfaces 15, 16 and 26 and through the openings 25. By looking through the central opening 14 of the device the article to be heated can be watched and the device may be properly manipulated to concentrate the heat rays upon the article.

While I have shown the body of the de vice as octagonal in form, I do not wish to be limited to this design as a circular or other suitable form may also be used, nor do I wish to be limited to the exact details of the other features of the construction as shown and described since they may obviously be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable device for heating wafers of sealing wax and the like comprising a substantially annular electrical heating ele ment, a suitable support for said element, and a reflector back of said element and arranged to converge the heat rays upon a wafer or other object arranged centrally below the device, said reflector having a central opening through which the operation of the device may be observed.

2,. An electric heating device comprising a hollow annular casing having openings in one wall thereof, a substantially annular resistance element in said casing, and means for reflecting the heat generated by said resistance element through said openings.

3. An electric heating device comprising a hollow annular casing having a substantially annular open portion in the bottom thereof, a substantially annular resistance element in said casing, and a reflecting surface in said casing opposite said opening and back of said resistance element and adapted to reflect through said opening the heat generated by said resistance element.

4. An electric heating device comprising i element in the casing in front of the heat reflecting surface.

5. In an electric heating device, the combination of a hollow annular casing having a central sight opening through which the article to be heated may be observed, said casing having a substantially open side, a resistance element in the casing, and a reflecting surface in the casing adapted to refleet through said substantially open side and toward the axis of said sight opening heat generated by said resistance element.

6. In an electric heating device of the class described, the combination of a hollow casing comprising tWo separable members having interfitting portions and provided at one side with complementary projections adapted to form a stem for the attachment of a handle, a resistance element in said easing, and a handle detachably mounted on said complementary projections.

7. In an electric heating device, the com bination of a hollow casing comprising two separable members having interfitting portions and provided at one side with complementary parts forming a cavity, an ii:- sulating plug in said cavity, spring jacks carried by said plug, and a resistance element in said casing and connected to said jacks.

8. In an electric heating device, the combination, of a hollow casing comprising two complementary separable members having interfitting portions and annular in shape to provide a sight opening at the center of the device for observing the work heated, means for detachably connecting said members, an electrical resistance element in said casing, and means whereby electric current conductors are connected to said resistance element.

9. In an electric heating device, the combination of a hollow casing, an electrical re sistance on the interior thereof, spring jacks connected to the ends of said resistance, a hollow handle for said device, plug members carried by said handleamladapted. to be inserted in said jacks, electric conductors extending into said handle, and an electric switch in said handle and comprising an operating button extending through a hole in the handle, said handle having a boss thereon surroundin said opening and extending beyond the outer end of said button to protect the latter from accidental operation when. the device is laid down.

10. In an electric heating device of the class described, the combination of a hollow casing having a reflecting surface therein and an opening opposite said reflecting sur face, an electrical resistance element in said casing in front of said reflecting surface and comprising a continuous coil of resistance wire extending back and forth in the casing a plurality of. times, and plurality of heat insulating non-conducting plates located at spaced points in said casing and having perforations through which said coil is strung.

11. In an electric heating device, the combination of a hollow metal casing comprising top and bottom complementary ammlar members having interfitting portions at the center, and also having complementary projections on one side forming a handle stem and interfitting parts on the opposite side detachably connecting the parts together, an electric resistance element in said casing, an insulating member in said handle stem, spring acks carried by said insulating member and connected to said resistance element, a detachable handle provided with a ferrule forming a socket fitting said stem, and plugs in said socket fitting said jacks.

12. In an electric heating device of the class described, the combination of a hollow annular casing comprising annular complementary members having interfitting top and bottom portions provided with complementary extensions forming a cavity for an insulating block and also forming a stem for a handle, an electric resistance coil of continuous wire extending back and forth in said casing, a plurality of spaced heat insulating, non-conducting perforated plates in said casing and forming supporting means for said resistance coil, said coil extending through the perforations of said plates, an insulating block in the aforesaid cavity, spring jacks on said block and connected with said resistance coil, a hollow insulating handle having a ferrule providing a socket at one end of the handle adapted to fit said stem, plug members in said socket adapted to .fit said jacks, electric conductors, extending into said handle and adapted to be connected with said plug members, a switch in said handle, a push button for operating said switch and extending through an opening in said handle, said casing having an open portion and a heat reflecting wall opposite said open portion, the annular shape of the casing providing a central sight opening through which the work operated on may be observed, said reflecting wall being adapted to reflect heat generated by said coil toward the axis of said sight opening.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ELBERT FOWVLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, D. G. 

